Entrepreneurial student is set to capture the world on film

A final year student with a passion for videography and travel has been head-hunted by tourism experts in Morocco to work on a new campaign.

Cole Robinson, 21, from Redcar in Teesside, is studying on the Entrepreneurial Business Management (EBM) degree programme at Northumbria University.

Always commercially-minded, Cole launched his first business venture at the tender age of 12, selling autographs online.

He decided to enrol on the EBM programme to strengthen his business management and entrepreneurship skills. The course encourages students to start-up and run their own business projects from the get go.

Commercial ideas are developed as a central aspect of the course and students are encouraged to explore how to manage and grow their businesses independently. They’re also urged to travel internationally to learn how business start-ups operate in different countries and international markets.

It was during a trip to Peru in his first year of study when Cole discovered a passion for travel videography and set his sights on creating a business which would enable him to make a living combining the two. In his second year he led the EBM team on a ten day trip to Madrid and Marrakesh.

Within one month of publishing his Moroccan travel video, Cole was contacted by the Campaign Director of YouGo Morocco on behalf of the National Tourism Board. They invited him to lead on the creation of video content for a new marketing campaign designed to promote the culture, nature and the vast range of visitor experiences the country has to offer.

Not one to miss a business opportunity, Cole flew out one week later to travel across Morocco on a fully-paid trip as part of an international team of 11 social media influencers.

Alaa Khalifa, campaign director of YouGo Morocco has over 30 years’ experience promoting international tourism destinations, he said: “I saw Cole’s video of his trip to Morocco and was extremely impressed. He has a unique style which captures the nature of the destinations like no creator I’ve seen before. I realised we simply had to get Cole on board to help us develop a fresh approach to our digital marketing strategy.”

Cole’s video is being used to represent Morocco at various international tourism conferences this year and each travel video he has made so far has been picked up by a tourist board to be used for marketing purposes, including Finland and Peru.

Describing his experiences on the EBM programme and his future after graduation this year, Cole said: “Working with YouGo Morocco has been a fantastic opportunity, not only has it been an exciting project to work on, it also represents an important and prestigious client for my business portfolio.

“I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the EBM programme at Northumbria to anyone seeking to start their own business. The support and incredible mentors and coaches I’ve worked with have helped me to turn a passion into a commercially viable business.

“I’m excited about the future. I’ve visited 22 countries so far and plan to capture the rest of the world on film after graduation! My core focus is to continue working hard to build my profile and establish myself as a world-leading creative content producer.”

The Entrepreneurial Business Management (EBM) course at Northumbria University is ideal for students who are keen to start their own business.

The programme is based on a Finnish model of education, called Team Academy, and Northumbria was one of three UK universities to pioneer this approach in the UK.

It focuses on independent, real world learning, with students working together to launch their own businesses and learn from their successes and mistakes.

Natalia Blagburn, senior lecturer in entrepreneurship and Cole’s EBM coach, explains: “Cole has an instinctive drive for creative thinking. He’s also an impressive, capable leader, believing he can achieve anything he sets his mind to.

“I am not surprised he has established an international reputation so quickly. From his first video he had a unique and recognisable signature. In fact, every travel video he has made so far has been picked up by a tourist board.

“Cole is an excellent example of someone achieving success outside the confines of a traditional career choice. This year he is leading the EBM team’s trip to Berlin and we can’t wait for his next video.”

The EBM course is part of Northumbria’s award-winning Newcastle Business School; recognised as Business School of the Year in 2015 and more recently, the first North East Business School to win the Small Business Charter for services to SMEs.

Newcastle Business School at Northumbria University is globally recognised for delivering some of the best business management education in the UK. You can learn more about available courses, including the EBM course, at www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria.

To find out more about Cole and his travel videos go to: www.youtube.com/colerobinson and www.facebook.com/imcolerobinson.